LGA responds to the State-Wide Flood Hazard Code Amendment
As climate change is expected to increase the frequency and severity of some flood events, effective flood risk planning and management is becoming increasingly important.
The State Planning Commission commenced consultation on the State-Wide Flood Hazard Code Amendment on 20 May 2026. The proposed Amendment seeks to incorporate new and updated flood hazard studies and best-practice approaches to flood hazard policy, supporting greater consistency in flood risk identification across council boundaries. This approach will establish clearer, more contemporary flood hazard mapping and updated planning policy.
LGA has provided a submission supporting the broad intent of the proposed reforms, including the move towards a consistent, state-wide approach to flood hazard mapping and policy and a more streamlined process for maintaining and updating flood hazard overlays within the Planning and Design Code.
LGA considers accurate and contemporary flood hazard mapping to supporting informed land use planning, managing risk to communities and infrastructure and providing greater certainty for councils, communities and the development industry.
Key matters raised in LGA’s submission include:
- review planning policy so that it is aligned with the level of flood hazard risk mapping
- Spatial representation of the hazard classifications (depth vs velocity) is required in the South Australian Property and Planning Atlas
- A Practice Direction to guide quicker changes to spatial mapping and policy is required to outline timeliness and documentation requirements
- Technical review of policy and terminology – i.e use of terms such as ‘planning need’ are not assessable
- Any future guidelines and mapping outside of the statutory planning systems are to be based on Australian Rainfall and Runoff version 4.2 and modelling to years 2100 should be encouraged.
LGA will continue to work with council planners, the State Planning Commission and the Department for Housing and Urban Development as work progresses on flood hazard mapping and policy.